A Language That is Felt Instead of Heard
by Konaxookami
Summary: It's still too fresh, too raw, and Inigo is glad Lucina doesn't offer her apologies. "Would you teach me how to dance Inigo?" The request is so soft that Inigo almost misses it - In which Inigo mourns and Lucina struggles and together they attempt to make it through the next day.
1. Dull Edge

I fell in love with Fire Emblem Awakening and if you haven't played it you should because it is really awesome man. I don't think enough people appreciate how adorable Inigo and Lucina's support conversations were, and how much I think these two are perfection together. Also it has been years since I took a dance class and it shows in this pretty clearly. Oh well. I don't own Fire Emblem.

**Dull Edge**

* * *

Inigo grew up loving dance. He'd heard all sorts of things from his family friends about his mother and her dancing. She was shy-just like he was. Inigo caught glimpses of her dancing for the front lines and had absorbed every minute he spent learning to dance from her. He had been young when she hadn't come back from the war. All he had gotten from her was a ring and a tales of her beauty and a dance that he would never knew the end to.

'What a dancer she was!'

'Truly, she was a sight to see!'

'You take after her in looks-Such a pretty face!'

Inigo heard it from everyone. It didn't particularly matter. The wound was still fresh. He would take his sword and armor, slink off to the forest, and then put any thoughts of war and death out of his mind to just dance.

To dance was to forget and do what he loved. It was time spent with his mother before everything became war.

_Spin. Reach out and pull around. Leap forwards and a double step to the side-crouch and slide and then-_

He freezes midstep.

_"I'll show you the rest when I get back, alright darling?"_

Instantly the world crumbles around him and he bursts into tears. He grabs his sword and swings wildly, hacking into whatever he can. Tree branches fall and animals chatter in the grove as they scurry away. He is blinded by tears as he swings his sword into a tree trunk. It sticks and he attempts to yank it free but his arms feel like rubber. He's been ignoring his training in his grief. His hands slip from the grip and he slides down to the ground, hands grasping at the tree trunk. His sobs are ragged and loud.

He doesn't know the end of the dance. He can't pretend it's okay without the end of it.

"Inigo?"

He swings his head up, hand reaching for his sword, still embedded in the tree. He blinks, clearing his eyes to see a head of dark blue hair. A form as regal as can be, with all the grace a 13 year old can have. He knows exactly who it is.

"Lucina-I'm sorry, but I wasn't really expecting-"

"Anyone to find you? I figured as much," her voice is even where his is wobbly. She makes even strides over to him, a hand at her hip, fingers wrapped around a sword hilt. She leans against the tree that Inigo crumpled in front of. Her brow furrows as she looks at the sword, "I noticed that you had been leaving camp and I was concerned. Are you well?"

Inigo's laughter is watery. Lucina speaks so well, so eloquently that knows anything he says in response is going to seem lackluster.

"No, I suppose I'm not," he finally decides to respond. He looks up at his sword and then to the grove he practiced in. He winced at the sight of hacked wood and scars in the growth. "What a mess I've made."

Lucina hums in response, her fingers curling around the grip of his sword and with a low grunt she pries it loose. She weighs it in her hand before handing it to Inigo, "Your sword is dull. When we get back to camp you may want to sharpen it. I'm sure Owain wouldn't mind joining you in the task."

Inigo's fingers tighten around the sword as he looks down the blade. When had it gone dull? How long had it been since he'd taken proper care of his gear? He couldn't remember. He placed the sword on the ground and he knew without looking up Lucina must be grimacing, because if her parents had taught her anything it was to not place your weapon down and he had learned the lesson too-but he wasn't in the mood to stand on proper form.

They listen to the sounds of forest for a few moments before Lucina looks around the grove, "This is where you dance, isn't it?" When Inigo's head snaps up she shrugs, "The ground is well trodden-as if you had spent a great deal of time here. And there are patterns in the grass. Repeated steps, I would assume?"

Inigo has to bite back a retort denying what she said, but he thinks better of it. Lucina's mother is a genius and she is her daughter after all. He stares at the grass beneath his feet as he replies.

"No one is out here so…it's a good place to clear my mind and dance. It's far enough away from camp that-That I don't have to think about-"

It's still too fresh, too raw, and Inigo is glad Lucina doesn't offer her apologies. With both of her parents still alive she isn't able to feel what so many of their friends were feeling. So many of their parents were dying under her parents' orders and plans. She knew that much. Inigo knew it wasn't her fault. But that hadn't stopped some of their friends from lashing out at Lucina in the past.

"Would you teach me how to dance Inigo?"

The request is so soft that Inigo almost misses it. It startles him and he stares up at his friend with wide eyes. She flushes slightly, averting her eyes. "I have taken lessons in court on how to dance with a partner but I always wanted to learn how your mother danced. I hoped to join your lessons but then we all joined the cause and…" she trails off into an uncomfortable silence.

Inigo sits there silently for a few moments, and Lucina shifts uneasily.

"If I'm overstepping my bounds, I apologize. I just thought that perhaps you might-"

"You'll need to take off your sword belt," Inigo interrupts her, a small smile on his face. He stands, "As well as your cape," he runs a few fingers down the length of the cape, marveling that only a year or so ago this girl was wearing court dresses and getting ready to start accepting suitors.

When the war took a turn for the worse, she picked up the sword full time and joined her parents on the field. He knew the cape weighed her down. He could see it in her step. He can see her shoulders lift a little once she places her weapon and cape to the side. She looks at him anxiously, her face determined.

He can't help but laugh at her. She looks at him as if they are about to spar, muscles tense and coiled for attack. He smiles honestly for the first time in days.

"You need to relax. Dancing is all about feeling the movement come to you. You can't force it or it'll never work." He leads her to the middle of the grove and stands beside her, "You need to be light on your feet, like in battle."

He places a hand on her shoulder and another around her hip and he feels her stiffen under the touch. Her eyes flicker to his but he smiles again, just the way his mother had to him when he had just started and he was unsure. He moves her frame to mimic his.

"This is a simple dance. Basic steps," he murmurs, "Right foot goes forward." As they step forward he lets his hands drop from her form. As he quietly teaches her the steps and hand gestures he forgets about the dance he doesn't know the end to and focuses on the way his mother had taught him this dance. How beautiful she had looked when she showed him, and how clumsy he was when he first tried it.

They run through it until Lucina insists she can do it alone and Inigo steps back to watch her. Her attempt was better than his first attempt alone, but he can feel the tension in her body. It's shocking to see the prodigy not excel at something right away. He clucks his tongue and Lucina stops, flushed.

"You need to let go Luci. Just let it flow from your limbs," he explains, "Here-see?" he takes a step back and begins the simple dance, keeping time in his head. He spins and steps and moves his hands about and when he stops Lucina is staring at him with her mouth slightly agape. He coughs and she is startled out of it. She coughs in response and grimaces.

"It would appear I would need to practice more."

Inigo smiles and closes the space between the two of them. He ruffles Lucina's hair and as she beings to bawk he laughs.

"Well, practice makes perfect, after all."

She smiles at him, a small thing, but still there. For a moment they stand there, smiling, before a flock of birds swoops down from above. Inigo looks to the sky, a light orange and whistles.

"It's getting late. We should head back. People will notice we've gone," Lucina straps her sword back on and dons her cape and turns to make leave. She stops and cocks her head to look back at Inigo, "Thank you, Inigo." She whispered, before hurrying off in the direction of camp.

Inigo watches as the princess left and feels his heart clench in a way that was different from the heartache he was becoming familiar with. As he gathers his things, he finds himself smiling without forcing it. He remembers Lucina's timid and clumsy steps and remembers his mother's patient laugh. He reckons that this was way to heal. Learn one step at a time, just like a dance.

* * *

The title for this series a lyric from 'One Step Closer' from The Little Mermaid musical. It fits man. It really fits. It also shows how much time I spend listening to musicals. There's still more after this-so stay tuned for more teenage angst and dancing. So much dancing.

Reviews are lovely-as are you reader. You are so very lovely.


	2. Like A Child

This is what happens when you give me too much time to think about how these kids reacted to their parents dying. I really love Lucina a lot.

**Like A Child**

* * *

When Lucina's parents fail to return from the front back to the barracks Inigo knows that Lucina is starting to loose hope. He can see it fall from her shoulders with every passing day. He sees it when she listens to the scouts report, her face grim as they recount loss after loss. He watches her fall apart inside as a soldier presents Falchion to her. He watches the child inside her die as she raises the sword and vows to make right what her father could not.

They all pretend to not hear her sobbing in her tent in the coming weeks. They know that they are her court. They are her Shepards. They need to stand for her and with her or else they will fail. They are young though. Hardly old enough to be in society, let alone war.

Recounts of the battles that have been fought and fate awaiting them hit Lucina hard. Inigo watches her receive the news and it takes both him and Owain to stop her from striking down the soldier where he stands. She screams and cries and they hold her close as she thrashes in their arms in grief.

They knew the Queen had fallen to the other side-become the new avatar for Grima. They all agree to not tell Morgan. Lucina sits in the strategy tent often, dark circles under her eyes. Owain and Morgan attempt to draw her out for more than a few hours a day, but fail. Her spirits are effectively crushed.

Inigo begs Laurent to search for an answer.

"You're so damn smart Laurent, you have to find SOMETHING that can be used to help-look at her she's killing herself!"

Laurent gives him a look that is the closest that Inigo has ever seen him to sympathy and assures him that he has been searching for the answer for their plight.

Inigo goes into the capital and sees fear and anguish. He knows that if his mother were here she could dance away their problems. One night he attempts to raise the spirits of the men and women in the tavern through a dance and has rotten fruit thrown at him in response. He slinks back to camp and throws a pail of water over his whole self to wash himself clean.

"You'll rust your sword and armor that way, Inigo."

He's so surprised to hear Lucina's voice he almost draws his sword. He relaxes and smiles brightly to their leader.

"Oh, but I'll be out of these clothes soon enough, Lucina. Would you like to watch?" He teases and he watches as she frowns at him. He laughs weakly as he shakes his hair free of some of the water. "What can I help you with, Lucina?"

She stands there, arms crossed, and her frown grows. Inigo stands there, feeling more and more foolish and cold as the silence drags on. She finally shakes her head and makes to leave, "It's foolish-We do not have time for it. Forgive for wasting your time. I'll leave you to change."

As she turns to leave he reaches out and grabs her arm. He pulls her back to him. She stumbles, not expecting to be touched. She hits his chest and instantly recoils, but Inigo is stronger than he used to be, and he holds her still. He locks eyes with the princess, his face serious. He can feel her clothing begin to absorb the water from his clothing and her mouth turns in a snarl.

"Inigo let me go this instant!" she hisses, her voice low.

"I would never consider anything you want foolish, Luci. What is it?" Inigo answers in an equally low tone. He watches as her eyes widen for a moment and the anger drops from her face. She averts her eyes and Inigo marvels at the thought of Lucina being bashful. It's decidedly unlike her.

"Would you dance with me Inigo?"

Inigo's grip goes slack and Lucina instantly jumps back a step. He furrows his brow and he can feel his mother's ring on his finger, cold and crisp. It had been years since he had taught her that first dance. He had always figured that she had forgotten about it, or had only done it to raise his morale. He gulps.

"I didn't know you still danced."

"I don't-I mean," Lucina bites her bottom lip and Inigo ponders for a moment how it might feel to replace her teeth with his own, but he banishes the thought almost as soon as it forms, "I see the way you move in battle and thought perhaps it might be wise to relearn some steps to become more fluid in battle."

Inigo straightens, still dripping water, and he smiles airly. He nods to his leader and watches as her shoulders slump in relief. Her gaze flickers to the grove outside of their camp and Inigo follows her silently into the woods. No doubt people in camp will whisper about this later-but for now Inigo is content to watch Lucina's back as she lead them to his grove. He hadn't been there in at least a fortnight.

"If you wanted to learn battle dances you would have asking during training, Luci," Inigo murmurs as they enter the grove. He watches Lucina stiffen and he spins lazily to get in front of her. He studies the grimace on her face and he tilts his head, "What's the real reason?"

Lucina's fingers twitch around her sword and Inigo notices how she gropes around for the grip. The sword was still far too big for her. She opens her mouth to speak, closes it, and then shakes her head. It's a few moments of struggle before she finally runs a hand through her hair and replies.

"I am tried of everyone stepping around me as if I am about to break. I am _not _a child anymore," Lucina huffed, "You understand, don't you?"

Inigo thinks back to after his mother's death-the way everyone tiptoed around him, comforting him and reminding him of the one thing he didn't want to be reminded of. He had something to escape to. Lucina did not.

"Yes, I do."

Lucina steps forward and raises her hands. She hesitates for a moment before reaching out and grasping the front of Inigo's damp shirt. She tugs slightly, pulling him forward as she rests her forehead against his chest. He can feel his pulse jump up. She sighs, and he feels it's warmth and it takes a moment for him to wrap his arms around Lucina's shoulders.

_I can wrap my entire arm around her._ _When did she get so small?_

He could feel the tears, hot against the chill of the night, bleed into his shirt as Lucina shuddered silently. He hummed, rocking her back and forth, as he'd seen countless mothers do in the past. He could remember his own mother rocking him softly as she sang lightly.

When Lucina finally drew in a shaky breath, Inigo pulled back slightly. He smiled, "Let me dance for you, Lucina. I can teach you the steps later." He swiped a thumb across her cheek, chasing an errant tear away, before gently taking her hands and placing them back by her side.

He takes a few steps back, and places his sword against a tree trunk. He sucks in a deep breath and closes his eyes. In his mind's eye he could see his mother's smiling face, and he could hear the low thrum of the drums and high whine of a violin begin to play. He smiles, and his body moves without another thought.

He spins and flies to the music roaring in his ears, and he can hear the troops shout in joy, and he can almost make out his mother's laughter as they dance, dance, _dance_ and by the _gods_ how he missed this feeling. His heart thunders away and his feet are burning but he feels _alive_ and as he stops, hands thrown to the sky, he lets out a long breath he didn't know he was holding.

He looks at Lucina, staring in awe at him and slowly the music fades and the drums in his head are replaced by the sound of his pulse, and the violin fades into the sharp intakes of breath. He bows low and grins at Lucina, who still hasn't moved. Her lips are slightly parted and he really can't help himself so he just leans forward ever so slowly, watching her eyes as they follow him. He can smell the scent of parchment, leather, steel, and a waft of something fresh and untainted by battle.

Her lips are chapped as they touch his ever so softly. She doesn't move. He cups her face in his hands and drinks from her lips, attempting to pull all the sadness out of her. It was only then that she responded, grabbing at the fabric on his back, seeking purchase to keep her stable. He pulls back slowly, opening his eyes to see her flushed cheeks and wide eyes.

"Do you feel like a child now, Lucina?"

Inigo isn't sure if that was her first kiss or her tenth but she bites her lip and shakes her head. She leans her head on his chest again and he sighs, arms wrapping around her waist.

"Owain will have my head if he finds out about this," Inigo murmurs, and Lucina snorts.

"He will not find out about this. This does not leave this spot, is that understood?"

She glares up at him and he gives her a cheeky grin.

"Yes, Milady."

He's glad that she cannot reach her sword because he knows he would be on the wrong end of it for his tongue. But in this moment, in this grove they don't have to worry about that. Lucina is just a normal girl who has just lost her first kiss to a no good scoundrel of a boy. The drum of war are muffled by the sound of rustling leaves and crickets and Lucina is warm in his arms.

* * *

There is still more of these two-I really love their interactions. The next time they'll be in the past which will be fun under the sun. Also thanks for reading. You're a doll. Or a pal. Whichever you like.


	3. Lingering Thoughts

In which I address those who remembered that Lucina wasn't entirely sure about the whole 'Robin=Grima' equation. All is explained. I think. Also I spend too much time thinking about which couplings I should use for Inigo's father and everyone else's' parents. Life is hard I suppose.

**Lingering Thoughts**

* * *

The air in the past is fresh and even though war is on the horizon, people live on their lives in blissful ignorance to how the future will turn out. Inigo flips in between simply enjoying not being in a warzone and trying to find his mother. He isn't sure exactly what the timeline of this land is. All the dates he knows are wrong. The conflict Plegia ended two years earlier than it did in his time. He had expected to show up in the middle of the war, only to appear as it dwindled down to the last battle.

The Exalt was dead though. That much remained the same.

Inigo wondered if maybe they were foolish for even thinking they could change the past. He prays to Naga that Lucina made at least some difference, or that Lucina even made it back to the proper time. He hadn't found anyone he had fought with.

He tries not to think about that though. There is peace in Ylisse and Inigo will take full advantage of it. He flirts his way through the halidom over two years of peace, looking for every dancer in the kingdom. His memories of his mother are fading the older he gets and a child's eyes are not the same as his now. He looks down at every dancer he meets, no longer shorter than his mother's hip. It had been at least a year since he had seen his mother when she died.

He picks up their left hands and croons about how beautiful their dancing was and he looks and looks and looks for the ring that he wears on his finger but he is never that lucky. He finds many lovely dancers, and he picks up quite a few steps from them, and accumulates an array of bruises from their boyfriends and husbands.

It is only when the drums of war begin to sound again that Inigo remembers why he really came back to the past. He listens to people in taverns, who gossip about Valm and how they're slowly moving in on the other nations. They say that the Exalt and his queen are going to send aid to Regna Ferox. They march there as we speak.

Inigo knows where this is going and he knows if he has any chance of at least seeing his mother again, he needs to go to Valm. He stows away on the next barge across the sea and begins to flirt his way through the country, trying to glean information of the war efforts thus far.

He begins to fight again and it's close enough to dancing that he can throw himself into it without another thought. Finally though all his traveling and philandering pays off and he encounters his mother at last.

When they are away from the main group for a few moments he cries into her shoulder and thanks all the gods that he finally found her. They speak long and hard until the fire has turned into mere coals and he bids her goodnight and promises to speak to his father in the morning. As he makes his way to the supplies tent he finds himself suddenly accosted.

"Finally! Another brother in arms has been reunited with us!"

Inigo stumbles as he childhood friend runs into and engulfs him in a hug. He can't help but laugh as he claps Owain on the back. Owain looks close to tears, but then he was always the overdramatic one of the group. Behind him he sees young Morgan, and then bubbly Cynthia and stern Laurent. He can't help but grin at his childhood companions as they assure him that they all came rushing to the fronts when they heard that he had been found.

"Where's Lucina?"

Inigo notices her absence keenly and Owain is about to start rambling when Morgan perks up and answers.

"Big Sis is in the weapons tent-taking care of Falchion."

Inigo has to fight the urge to roll his eyes. He extracts himself from his friends and promises to train with them in the morning. He collects a tent to sleep in and makes his way to the weapons tent. He hears the telltale sound of a grindstone and peeks his head inside. His heart swells at the sight of Lucina.

Her hair was longer than before, the choppy haircut that they gave her to help hide her gender still juts out slightly below her neck, but she looks immaculate. She looks years older, and Inigo has to wonder how he looks now to everyone. They certainly weren't children anymore. He watches her run the stone down her sword's edge a few times before entering the tent fully.

"You know, a guy might think a person didn't like him when they don't come rushing to see him when he pops out of nowhere."

Lucina jumps and her head shoots up to look at him. Her mouth drops open for a moment before she scowls and her brow furrows. She stands with a huff, sheathing her sword.

"Gods damn it Inigo! Don't scare me like that!"

Inigo laughs, and sweeps a bow, "As you wish O Fearless Leader!" when he straightens he catches the tail end of Lucina rolling her eyes. He grins as he ambles over and opens his arms for a hug, "Come on, you know you want to. I'm all nice and pretty from all my fighting-you know you want a hug."

Lucina raises an eyebrow and levels a flat glare at him for a moment. He wiggles his fingers a little and finally she sighs and walks into his embrace. His arms wrap around her and she wraps her arms around his shoulders.

"It's good to have you back Inigo. I was getting worried that maybe you had…"

"Been killed before we got through? I thought I was dead when I woke up here. But this war is nothing compared to what we were facing at home," he pulls back, hands on her arms, "Any words from the rest of us? Gerome? Severa? Anyone?"

Lucina shakes her head and her shoulders slump, "I don't think we'll find them until they are ready to be found. From the way it happens-I think Naga hid us all until our existence was proved to happen." She smirks, "I heard Olivia talking about wanting a family after the war a week or so ago, I should have figured you would pop up."

"I drank for your birth last year, by the way," Inigo grins, "I won quite a bit of money thanks to knowing your birthdate."

Lucina snorts before going back to the crate she was sitting on. She sits with more grace than a girl should sitting on a crate and she motions for Inigo to join her. "Grab a whetstone and tend to your weapon, I'm sure you haven't taken proper care of it."

Inigo clicks his tongue against his cheek as he pulls over another crate and grabs a stone from the pile. "You are still great at that whole subject changing skill. I was talking about _you_ Lucina," he drew his sword and sat beside her, laying the metal across his knee. He palmed the stone and began to run it down the blade's length slowly, "How goes your parents? They haven't lost their touch-They certainly took care of those bandits much quicker than I could have."

He notices the way Lucina's shoulders stiffen and she draws her sword in a sharp twist. She frowns as she takes the stone to her sword. "They are well. Father and Mother are in good spirits and have not let the darkness get to them."

Inigo sighs, bumping shoulders with the girl, "No, Lucina, I mean how has your relationship with them been? You've spent more time with them than most of us can boast, I wager."

"You shouldn't wager then," Lucina mutters, "I'm their daughter and yet I'm _not_ their daughter. Their daughter is back at the castle learning to babble and walk without them there. I'm starting to see why Gerome never wanted to come back because I'm happy and yet-" Lucina cuts herself off and turns her attention to her sword before she can continue the thought.

Inigo follows suit for a few moments before he hazards speaking, "We were never sure you know. They could have been wrong. It could have been anyone," By the way Lucina freezes beside him he knows she knows what he is talking about, "You shouldn't think about it. This is our second chance after all."

"You don't get it. You're the only version of you running around," Lucina grits out, "Just wait until you're born. It changes everything."

Inigo frowns, "Lucina I'm sorry, I was just-"

"Inigo, just shut up and sharpen your sword."

They are quiet for a long time before Inigo tips his sword up to inspect it. He whistles and moves to sheath it, standing.

"You should sleep Lucina. We march tomorrow afternoon from what I've heard."

Lucina flinches and shakes her head, "I am fine. I can run on little sleep. You should know that." She inspects Falchion before sheathing it, "I'm going to go over tactics for a while it is none of your concern."

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should! Lucina you shouldn't do this. The last time you did this-"

Lucina cuts him off with a tone so cold he freezes, "I almost died, I remember-yes."

Inigo swallows hard. In the weeks following the kiss he wasn't supposed to talk about Lucina had worked herself into a frenzy climaxing in her leading a counterattack on the Risen outside of Ylissetol. Inigo remembers Owain screaming for his mother and he turned just in time to watch the sword leave Lucina's gut. He can't remember how he got over there so quickly, or how the battle ended, but he remembers taking shifts with Owain and Morgan of watching over Lucina as she healed.

_"She was exhausted. She needs sleep and nourishment."_

Lissa had scolded them for hours for not looking out for her better while she had been on the front lines. Inigo felt stupid for not having noticed how bad it had been. He wasn't about to make the same mistake again.

"We need you still Lucina," Inigo's voice was soft, "Your family, all the people we heard stories about, our friends-you can't just go and act like you can throw yourself away."

Lucina stands, the look in her eyes anguished, and Inigo knows his prayers have fallen on deaf ears, "But don't you see? I've failed! Emmeryn is still dead and we still march forward to Valm without a prayer to stop what is to come!" She balled her hands into fists and covered her face, "All I had to do was stop Emmeryn from dying and I couldn't even do that!"

Inigo throws his hands in the air and grits his teeth, "What made us so sure that she was the key to this whole thing being averted? Why was she the goal? She was fated to die-that's the only explanation for this. If she didn't die you wouldn't have been born."

"We don't know that for sure. But I've failed in almost every task I was supposed to complete. I wasn't supposed to tell my parents who I was and I failed. I couldn't save my aunt from dying, and I couldn't stop this war from starting."

Inigo grabs Lucina's wrists and pulls them from her face, staring into her eyes, "You are just one girl Lucina. You can't carry the world. You don't have to anymore."

Lucina flinches and hangs her head, "I have nightmares. I cannot rest," she bites her lip and shakes her head, "No matter what I do I cannot fight the dreams."

Inigo knows what she is talking about. She means the dreams where the smell of blood and burnt flesh lingers in your nose and the taste of metal taints your tongue and your limbs feel like lead. Dreams where everyone you've ever cared for is cut down.

"Would sleeping with me help?" Inigo teases, but the moment it leaves his lips he regrets it because Lucina tenses, grabbing her wrists back and scowls at him. He smiles bitterly at the girl and shrugs ever so slightly, "It was just a thought."

"No thank you, Inigo. You should probably retire. We leave tomorrow, after all," Lucina mutters, stalking past him to leave. Inigo waits until she leaves the tent before peeking out to watch her make way to a smaller tent in the mass of the camp. He sighs, collecting the tent he took and made way to set up camp for himself.

He catches sight of Chrom making his way over the tents and watches as he hails Lucina to wait. He watches at the prince places a kiss on her forehead before disappearing into the tent she was standing next to. He marvels at the small smile on Lucina's lips and he feels his heart pound in a way it hadn't for some time-not since the earth was dead and the hope dying. Not since he was a scoundrel stealing kisses from princesses. He had forgotten what it felt like-this feeling so similar to embarrassment it could almost pass as it.

He didn't have a name for it yet-but he knew the only way to it was to smile and so as he set up camp he smiled and thought of a pair of lips curled upward.

* * *

I had to find a way to link this badboy around to Inigo and Lucina's support conversations and by golly it took me a little while but I got there and I will be riding that sucker into town. Now I get to use actual canon conversations to help me bring this home. That is such a good feeling. Also reviews are great too. So great. Like-wow. Thank you for reading.


	4. Put Your Faults To Bed

Let's flip the perspective here, shall we? I figure it's high time we do so, don't you? Certainly. This is a sort of lead in since I need to go through and reread some support conversations between the kids. But I really wanted to give Lucina a little time, since I gave Inigo plenty of time. We'll see if it continues onto the next chapter.

**Put Your Faults To Bed**

* * *

Lucina was not one for frivolity. Even at her most laid back she did not allow for many worldly pleasures. Spending time with her mother and younger brother were the most she allowed for herself. There was not time to relax. The time may come, but now was not that time. She suspected that was why Inigo frustrated her so much.

With his constant smile and his flirting she couldn't decide which of the two made her more frustrated. She watches him spar and trade insults with Owain and feels something akin to jealousy flair up in her chest. How was it that they could be so light in such an important time? The conflict with Valm was almost settled-and she knew what she was going to have to do after that.

_They don't know that though, do they? Stop trying to force your problems onto them, you fool._

_"We were never sure you know. They could have been wrong. It could have been anyone. You shouldn't think about it. This is our second chance after all."_

Inigo's words weigh on her and she wants to heed them but the sword on her hip is too heavy to ignore. Her grandfather's influence lingers in her thoughts. She has turned the options over in her head too many times to even count. She catches Inigo's eyes and he sends her a cheery grin and she scowls immediately. Something flutters in her chest at his smile and she stands and makes way to the weapons tent instead of watching the sparring in the morning.

"Hey, Lucina!"

Inigo calls after her and she stops and turns. He beams down to her and points towards the nearest village, "Me and few of the rest of us were going to go into town and see what we can scrounge up for food and comforts. Want to join us?"

"No, I'm sorry Inigo, I've got a strategy meeting in an hour's time," Lucina doesn't add that she isn't expected to go to the meeting. She watches as Inigo's face falls slightly and he scratches the back of his head.

"Oh, well…Do you want me to look for anything for you? Since you've got to do business things?"

Lucina blinks, startled by his generosity. She hadn't remembered him being this way in the future-but then most of them had changed since coming back to the past. They were happier, hopeful. He stares down at her, and she can tell he isn't lying. She searches her mind for something she may want but then squashes the thought before it can go anywhere. It was always better not to get your hopes up.

"No. Thank you though, Inigo. I'm fine."

Inigo frowns and his eyes flicker about her face for a few moments, "Are you sure? You're really okay?"

Lucina feels her stomach roll, but she stands tall and nods, "Yes. I'm fine, truly. You had better hurry up Inigo-Or they'll leave you behind."

He lingers for a moment, but the sound of Owain's loud exclamations draws him back to the group. He shakes his head and waves as he backs away, "Ah well, looks I'll have to find some other girl to accompany me around town. See you soon Lucina!"

As the group walks away Lucina has to fight the urge to call out to them to wait. She instead turns back around on her heel to go back towards her tent to prep for the meeting. She mulls over Inigo's parting words and why they seemed to bother her.

"He has always been a flirt. You have known that for a long time," she reasons with herself, sitting in her tent with a frown on her face, "He's just being himself."

_Find some other girl-_

Lucina shook her head, attempting to banish the dancing boy from her mind. She did not have the time to be getting distracted from the war. Especially not over someone like Inigo.

"Lucina, I told you that you didn't have to be here for this meeting, didn't I?"

Robin's face is concerned as she stares over the map table towards her daughter. Chrom's eyes flicker to Lucina's face as well and Lucina shakes her head.

"You did, but I would rather like to help out whenever I can," she explains, a small smile on her lips. Robin looks like she is ready to protest but Chrom shakes his head and her mouth shuts. The look that her mother gives her though tells her that she is going to have word with later. She feels ashamed of herself and her thoughts only make her feel worse.

_You should have just gone with them. You're parents don't want you treading underfoot. _

By the end of the meeting, when Frederick and Chrom leave, Lucina is feeling so terrible about having come to the meeting that she almost blurts it out to her mother. But Robin stops her before she even starts.

"Your younger brother went into town today with everyone. I thought that you would be joining them, Lucina," Robin smiles at her, "Are these meetings really that interesting? They're more up Morgan's alley, you know."

"I just thought it might be prudent to know what is going on on the fronts," Lucina muttered, averting her gaze.

"Oh Lucina," Robin took Lucina's face in her hands to make her daughter look at her. Lucina's hearts swells at the gentle look on her face, "You should enjoy yourself sweetheart. You're only young once. Let your father and I worry about the war. That is our job. Your job is to live."

Lucina flushes and nods mutely to her mother. Robin's smile grows and she places a kiss on Lucina's forehead before she leaves to rejoin Chrom outside the tent. Lucina stands in the tent alone, feeling as though she has been scolded even though she knows that her mother is just looking out for her.

She sits around the fire pit for an hour after the meeting before dinner, sharpening a knife she hadn't used in months. She hears the sound of laughter and bantering and looks up to see her comrades and friends approaching camp again. She feels a pinch of guilt when she realizes even Gerome had gone with them. She attempts to make herself scare but is foiled by her brother.

"Lucina! Lucina wait until you see what I got!"

He runs up to her, a bright smile on his face, his cheeks rosy. He pulls a new book out of his bag, displaying it proudly, "'Tactics of the Hero King'! This book is full of stories straight from his tactician! I'm going to go show it to Mother right away!"

Lucina smiles down at her younger brother, unable to fight his enthusiasm, "That's great Morgan. It certainly looks like an interesting find. So I wager you had a good time in town?"

"Oh yeah, it was great! You should have been there Sis! Inigo got slapped!"

Lucina frowned, glancing around the group, "He did? Is he in trouble? I don't see him with the group…"

"Oh no, he's fine-I think he's just embarrassed is all. He didn't know the girl he was hitting on had a fiancée," Morgan shrugs but then perks up, "Oh! That's right, he gave this to me to give to you when we got back," he rifles through his bag for a few moments before producing a small bag. He passes it onto his sister and then bounces on his feet for a few moments, "He wanted to give them to you himself but he said you would get mad if you saw he had gotten slapped. Listen Sis, I'm gonna go show this to Mother-Bye!"

Lucina barely has time to bid her brother goodbye before he is gone. She looks down at the bag in her hands for a moment before slowly pulling on the strings to open it. Nestled inside are a clutch of assorted sweets she hadn't eaten since she was young. She remembers fighting over them with other children and getting scolded by Aunt Lissa for not sharing. It had been years since she had thought about eating sweets.

_"Oh, well…Do you want me to look for anything for you? Since you've got to do business things?"_

She had told him not to worry about her. He had seemed like he wasn't going to. Had seemed as though he was ready to move onto another woman. She reaches into the bag and pulls out a chocolate and puts it in her mouth. The sweetness spreads across her tongue and she can't fight the smile that comes to her face. It tastes like childhood and happiness.

She holds the bag close to her chest and looks over the horizon to see if Inigo had come back after all, but he was nowhere in sight. As the chocolate melted in her mouth she ran to her tent to stow the sweets away, lest she be seen standing around smiling like a fool. _It's only fair to share them with him. He must have spent most of his money on this. Sweets are rare. _She savors the taste as it fades in her mouth, smiling still in the safety of her tent. She remembers her mother's instructions to enjoy herself and as she goes out to join the rest of the company for dinner she feels lighter than she has in quite a long time.

She catches sight of Inigo stealing away with a bowl of the stew they are serving and he smiles at her as he leaves. She smiles back and she watches as his eyes widen and something passes over his face that she cannot identify. He's gone before she can name the expression, but her heart is pounding in her chest and she isn't sure why.

* * *

I found that the song "King" by Lauren Aquilina really suits Lucina well. I took a lyric from it for the chapter title. But in any case, I just want to flesh out their relationship because support conversations only give a person so much. Also I wanted to write Robin being a good mother because she really is. Didn't describe her much since everyone has her designed differently and I wouldn't force my version of her onto you.

Anyways-thanks for reading. And leaving reviews. They're lovely. Now I'm going to get to work on that next chapter while I still have free time. Cheers.


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